Trust
by Lord 0f Storms
Summary: Mare and Kelsier's last great heist, to sneak into the Lord Ruler's compound and steal from under his very nose. Told from Mare's POV.
1. Inquisitive

**A/N: As with too many of my favourite books/games etc, Mistborn has far too few stories in its section. So here's my offering. I've kept it as faithful to the book as I can, but I've added to it, so I suppose it's my own interpretation. Mare's interesting to write, seeing as she impacts on other characters despite being long dead. Hopefully, I did her (and the marvellous books) justice!**

...

**Trust**

Chapter One: Inquisitive

...

In the blackness of night, the skaa slept. Most of them were docile and law-abiding, forced by fear to live in a cycle of slave labour and cruelty. Not Mare. And not Kelsier.

Their lives might be more dangerous than the average skaa and they might have more to fear, but every noble they robbed blind was a blow to this evil society and the dictator who maintained it. Soon, they would deal the greatest blow yet – stealing from the Lord Ruler himself. It was exhilarating to think of it. She and Kelsier had been planning for months now. They'd received specialist help from some of their thief friends – including valuable information from the ever-resourceful Dockson – but the heist itself was for the two of them.

Mare focused her attention back on the corridor below. She was the best Tineye thief there was – or so Kelsier liked to tell her – and she could figures with perfect clarity, where others would just see tiny blobs in the distance. That's why she and her Smoker companion, Trap, could sit perched on the outer perimeter of Kredik Shaw and still maintain surveillance of the fortress.

They were loitering atop a rooftop near to the Canton of Orthodoxy's main headquarters. Perhaps it was a little foolhardy being so close to an enemy hotspot during such her final observation run, but it was the only building that was far enough from the Canton of Inquisition without leaving Kredik Shaw outside the scope of her superhuman sight. It was a grubby rooftop, stained with the same ash that coated the rest of the city. Mare was covered in the stuff now. She tugged her hood down as far as she could without it obscuring her vision.

They'd been here for several hours tonight, waiting. It was mostly uneventful, even if it was necessary to the plan. Mare kept her eyes focussed on the narrow window at the top of the corridor, which would give her a decent view of a passing head, should someone pass through. And someone would. It had been the same every three days, for the past few months. Tonight was the final confirmation.

While she couldn't let her eyes wander, her other senses were free to explore the city once more. The breeze was mild, as it always was in Luthadel. It brought with it mist, which wrapped itself around her like a protective cloak, knowing she didn't fear it. It still unsettled her a little; Kelsier had shown her that the mists were harmless, especially because her enhanced eyes could pierce their shroud, but she had grown up skaa. She knew the stories of fiends that lurked in the mist, though these days she would be more fearful of encountering a Mistborn or Inquisitor than an elusive Mistwraith.

Trap reclined on his back next to her, gazing at the mist trailing across the sky. He didn't have the advantage of advanced senses and his only role at the moment was to hide her Allomancy. It seemed to take most of his willpower to stop himself falling asleep. Mare smiled; how someone so reckless managed to survive as a Misting thief, she didn't know.

Her smile slipped as she detected movement in the hallway. Right on time, a youthful face passed by the nondescript window. She flared her tin for a better look, frowning as she considered how attractive the Lord Ruler was. It was stupid really, but somehow she had always assumed the Lord Ruler would look as malevolent as his reputation. She'd made a sketch before, so the few eye-witnesses who'd seen him – or images of him – could confirm the man's identity. This had to be the Lord Ruler. Mare grinned; this was it. Once they reported back, the plan could be put in motion.

"Trap, he's come back out," she whispered.

"So we can go now? Lord Ruler, finally." He stretched, moving into a crouch beside her and peering hopelessly in the direction Mare was looking. "It's odd how he always spends three hours shut up in there. What d'you think he's doing?"

"Kelsier thinks he's storing his wealth in there."

Trap regarded her sceptically. "So he goes in there to stare at a huge pile of boxings for a few hours every three days?"

"It doesn't have to be money – maybe it's some powerful metal he's kept hidden. Like atium." Her last job with Kelsier had involved stealing a tiny atium cache from one of the Great Houses, and those few tiny beads had funded their lifestyle for the past several months. Considering how tightly the Lord Ruler restricted the flow of atium, it would make sense that if he knew of an even more valuable metal, he'd keep it all to himself. Of course, monetary wealth wasn't the only thing Mare hoped was hidden within the vault.

"C'mon, let's go," Trap said, interrupting her musings. "Some of us have to work tomorrow, y'know."

Mare grinned. "'Work'? Is that what you're–?"

A sound.

There was someone there.

She froze, grabbing Trap's sleeve and dragging him away from the edge, inching along the roof until she found a group of wide chimney stacks to hide behind.

"Mare?" he whispered.

She held a finger to her lips, eyes wide and tense. Mare flared her tin, waiting for the sound she'd heard a moment before. The sound of breathing, predatory and inhuman. She'd never heard anything like it before – but then she didn't make a habit of walking around with her tin burning. Whoever it was shouldn't know that they were here – not with Trap's copper turned on – but Mare was sure the stranger was waiting, feeling the surroundings with his senses just as she was.

Mare suppressed a gasp as a cloaked figure leapt into the air where they had been moments before, landing easily on the roof. She felt Trap shudder beside her. She didn't need tin to see the faint light reflecting off those steel spikes, to recognise the black robes and the harsh edges of a cruel face. She quickly ducked behind the cover of the chimneys before the thing saw her.

Without really knowing why, she made a hand signal to Trap, telling him to turn his metal off as she did the same. He looked unsure, but she was Kelsier's right-hand, and her authority was respected. He nodded once it was off. Technically, nobody should be able to detect someone using Allomancy within the protection of a coppercloud – but who knew what was truth or fiction where Inquisitors were concerned?

It – he? – stood immobile on the roof, framed by the imposing silhouette of Kredik Shaw. Mare's muscles felt frozen. She fought the instinct to bolt, knowing there was no hope of outrunning an Inquisitor. But she couldn't hide and wait; it _knew _they were up here. It was waiting them out, like a hunter luring its prey into making the first move. Inquisitors revelled in the terror of their victims; while she and Trap cowered behind the wall, that abomination was basking in ecstasy.

They had to escape.

Mare turned towards Trap, who looked deathly pale. She had made a full investigation of the roof earlier when plotting escape routes, should they be discovered. It had never occurred to her that they might need to utilise these escape routes.

She silently motioned towards the edge of the roof, a part that was hidden from the Inquisitor by the high chimneys they were crouched behind. The edge was about two paces from them. There was a window ledge not far beneath it and from there, they could shimmy down some guttering to the second floor of the building and sneak through an open window into the building. Easy enough. In theory.

Trap hesitantly crept towards the edge, moving a fraction at a time. Mare waited a moment and then shuffled along the chimney's shadow, away from the Inquisitor and towards the edge. Her every movement felt perilously loud.

The Smoker eased one leg over side of the roof, lowering himself quietly towards the window ledge. Mare made to follow him.

A footstep, loud and unafraid. The Inquisitor was moving towards the chimneys, its heavy footsteps barely a breath away. Trap was out of sight, but that monster was about to round the chimney and see her. It wasn't possible to get down in time. She had to run. She had to run!

Mare's seized-up limbs burst into life as she shot from her hiding place, darting across the rooftop and throwing herself over the edge. She soared over the alley below and landed on the roof of the building opposite, tucking herself into a roll that slightly winded her.

She scrambled to her feet and ran for the next roof.

Mare didn't wait to check the Inquisitor's location, she was just thankful it hadn't caught her yet. Thankful and surprised. But she didn't think she'd gotten away nearly so easily. She launched herself across the roof, jumping a narrow gap to the next, and continuing her path. Whenever the opportunity to jump to a slightly lower building arose, she took it. It was paramount that she reached the ground soon. Not being a Mistborn, there was no chance she could outrun someone with full Allomantic abilities in a rooftop pursuit. She'd have a hard enough time on the ground.

There was a metal rail hanging over the edge of the roof. It stopped a metre or so from the ground, but the drop was manageable. Mare grabbed hold of the rail, wrapping her legs around it and sliding down. The rusty metal bit her hands, and she let go, landing noisily in a dark alley.

She immediately concealed herself in the shadows, her chest heaving with gasping breaths that she was trying to stifle. Mare wanted to burn her tin to check if she could hear the Inquisitor, but there was no coppercloud to keep her safe now. Mare suddenly realised that she'd left Trap behind, part way through his escape route. He might have been caught. He might be at the mercy of an Inquisitor now. She fought the urge to retch.

_Can't stay here._

Where to go? She could head for home, but if Kelsier was there she'd be leading the Inquisitor right to him. The same was true of Dockson's place. She needed somewhere in which she could lay low, but where she wouldn't be putting anyone in danger.

The trouble was that she and Kelsier had tried to keep a low profile since they started planning this theft. Despite Kelsier's love of notoriety, they'd agreed it would be bad for the Lord Ruler to get wind of such a brazen attack on his supremacy. That meant cutting themselves off from most of the underground. _But_, there was one place she could go, and it was surely empty at night.

There was nothing else for it. Fighting the fear that kept her rooted to the spot, Mare made her way through the back alleys of the commerce district. She tried to keep to the shadows as much as possible, slipping into cover whenever she heard a suspicious sound. And in this state of anxious paranoia, _every_ sound was suspicious.

Mare was closing in on her target now, and still no more sign of the Inquisitor. _How did I lose it so easily... is it following me in stealth? Is it watching and lying in wait?_ She shuddered, continuing her dogged pace. It may be coming for her, but she wasn't going to make it easy.

The building that would be her haven was straight ahead. She was approaching it from the alley behind it, which would allow her access to the storage room in the back. A good enough hiding place.

Mare reached the window, using her key to unlock the latch and slide it partially open. It was just wide enough for her to slither inside on her stomach and onto the well-cleaned wooden floor. She scrambled underneath a nearby table, on top of which miscellaneous items were stacked. In the dark, she would be hard to see – but did Inquisitors even require a light source? Fearing not, she huddled as far underneath the desk as she could and pulled a wooden chair towards her to aid obscurity.

_Please don't find me._

Holding her breath, Mare strained for sounds outside. She couldn't risk using tin. All she could hear was her own thudding heart. She had never been so frightened before. Previously, all her jobs had been raids on nobles or their warehouses – there had never been cause to come up against an Inquisitor. There had never been occasion to doubt herself.

And Kelsier wasn't with her this time. It had been exhilarating, stealing with him. No matter how much money they obtained, she doubted either of them would give up the thrill of infiltration, of rubbing it in the nobles' faces. Even when the plan had gone askew before, he'd always had some off-the-wall idea to get them out of trouble. He was mad and daring, and she loved him for it. Kelsier was the fighter, she was the scout. But he wasn't here. And she couldn't fight her way out of this situation. Mare exhaled slowly and quietly.

She would wait here, at least until morning.

Despite all their planning for this job, they had never considered the possibility of capture during a routine information-gathering. Not when she'd been doing this for months.

Creak.

It sounded like... a footstep?

Mare stopped breathing. Even that could give her away.

The floor creaked near the window – she heard the sound of someone quietly sliding it shut. Had she left it open? She'd been sloppy, too desperate to get to a hiding place.

A shoe scuffed the floor, barely audible as it moved closer to her.

Did it know? _Has it found me?_

...


	2. Reckless

**Trust**

Chapter Two: Reckless

...

_No..._

Mare wanted to squeeze her eyes shut and pretend she wasn't there, but they were wide and alert. She wouldn't let the creature get her while she cowered underneath a table like a frightened skaa child. She _wasn't _a frightened skaa child anymore. Those years were far behind. The Ministry held no power over her. She could fight, even if it was futile.

Mare lunged from her hiding place, knocking the chair over and slamming her shoulder into her hunter. She wasn't a Thug. She didn't have pewter, but she had some skills. The Inquisitor was staggered, taken by surprise.

She didn't question her good fortune, and instead scrambled to her feet, reaching for a weapon. _Something wooden. Something wooden. _Her fingers searched in the darkness, and were rewarded with a mop, recently used for cleaning ash from the floor. Mare clutched it near the cloth, and swung the end in the direction of the Inquisitor. Or so she hoped – it was hard to see in almost pitch darkness.

Her swing was rewarded with a loud _crack_ as the wooden handle connected with the Inquisitor's face, sending it stumbling backwards into a table, grunting with pain and shock.

It had found her and a few precious moments had been bought with her daring, no point hiding her Allomancy now.

Switching on her tin, Mare's senses were hit with a sudden wealth of information. The room was crisp, where it had been black a moment ago. The smell of blood assaulted her nose. Her assailant was breathing hard, winded. And the Inquisitor...

...wasn't an Inquisitor at all.

"_Marsh?" _she gasped, dropping her makeshift weapon and grabbing her brother-in-law's arm, hauling him up from where he was sprawled on the floor.

He gave her a questioning stare. Or at least, he attempted to – he couldn't see her in the dark.

"Mare? What are you... why did you attack me?" he demanded.

"Do you have somewhere we can go?" she asked, her relief tempered by the lingering threat of pursuit. "It's not safe here."

"I noticed," Marsh replied testily, wiping some blood from his lip. It was swollen from her strike with the mop. He sighed. He wasn't likely to throw her out, even when she had just assaulted him. "Upstairs."

Mare led the way through the darkness and they exited the storage room, heading through the shop front and up a narrow staircase. The only important room up here was an office, which she knew wasn't just used for shop business. The only difference between Marsh's activities and Kelsier's was that he seemed to think his were morally sound whilst his brother's were just criminal.

She snatched a handkerchief up, handing it to him as they filed into the small office. He shut the door behind them.

"You want to tell me what's going on now?"

"Sorry," Mare said, cringing slightly at the sight of his swollen lip. "I didn't realise it was you when I attacked."

"You thought someone _else_ was in my shop?"

"I was being followed. By an Inquisitor."

Marsh's face lost its look of vaguely amused disapproval as shock replaced it. He glanced at the door – the only exit from the windowless room. If it was still coming, they'd be cornered. But if it knew she'd come to Marsh's shop, there wasn't much hope anyway. And that meant she'd put him in unnecessary danger.

She fervently hoped that she'd had lost its tail.

"Is he still following you?"

Mare shook her head. "Don't think so. I'm not even sure it came after me, I didn't see it once when I was running away. And it's not found us yet. I... I think it might've gone after Trap instead."

"The Smoker? Why–?" Marsh trailed off. As realisation came, it brought with it that look of dissatisfaction that he seemed to excel at. "Kelsier's plan. So that's what you were doing: sneaking around Kredik Shaw. _That's_ what drew the Inquisitor's interest and almost resulted in your capture. And execution."

She avoided his gaze. It was what she imagined a lecture from her father would have been like. Not that she knew, seeing as the man had been rather mellow and was dead by the time she reached adulthood anyway.

"I didn't realise you'd be here when I came," Mare explained. "I was trying to find a hideout away from people I knew. Someplace deserted. It's not like I intended to put anyone else in danger."

"You were lucky to get away from that creature. They don't usually let their prey escape."

Mare sighed, still feeling awkwardly tense and worried about Trap's safety. If her panic had led to his capture...

Marsh dropped the handkerchief on the table, folding his arms and staring at her with iron eyes. Mare momentarily thought of Inquisitor eyes, and shuddered. _Don't think about that._ The last thing she needed was to start seeing Steel Inquisitors everywhere.

"I assume you're putting a stop to this plan now," Marsh said, as though it had already been decided for her.

"Certainly not!" she answered fiercely. "We've put a _year_ into this; I'm not going to throw it away because of a minor setback."

"Almost getting yourself killed isn't a 'minor setback'. Would you really throw your life away so that Kelsier can have fame and a few coins?"

He didn't understand. It wasn't just money and glory that they were after – that was just the bonus. The real reward for Kelsier would be the knowledge that they were the best. They had done it all, shocking the nobles out of their complacent cruelty and spitting in the face of the Lord Ruler. For her it was similar, but what she really hoped for in that vault were secrets.

The Lord Ruler had been alive for a thousand years or more. He knew how the world had been before he took power, and he hunted down Terrismen Keepers like her old friend Sazed in the hope of wiping out that knowledge. Maybe he wanted to keep it to himself, maybe information lost to everyone was hidden in there. Perhaps he was concealing a way to restore things to how they should be. If it could be found, they could use it. Then the drawings of flowers pinned up in her house wouldn't need to live only in her imagination.

It was about so much more than simple money.

Mare felt a burst of frustration at his attitude. "We are rebelling against the Lord Ruler, just like you are. The only thing that's different is our methods."

"The only thing that's different is that I'm doing this to help the skaa; Kelsier is doing this for his own selfish glorification," Marsh said coldly, his demeanour growing hostile as it often seemed to when his brother's name came up. Especially if Mare was the one bringing it up.

"At least what we're doing will have an impact!" she exclaimed. "What's the point of just struggling in obscurity? If we take what's most valuable to the Lord Ruler, then it _hurts_ him. What difference is it to him if a few hundred skaa rise up and die for trying? _This _can make a difference. _This_ isn't just a pointless waste of life."

Marsh didn't respond. Instead, he just stared at her with melancholic comprehension. She knew this wasn't just about her choosing thievery over the rebellion. It was about her choosing Kelsier over him.

She already felt responsible for inadvertently driven a wedge between the two brothers, it wasn't necessary to remind her of it. It had been years, and he still hadn't moved on. It wasn't fair to make her feel guilty for loving her husband. Regardless, she laid a hand on his folded arms, hoping he would recognise the conciliatory gesture.

"We're both trying to help people, Marsh. The skaa have been trying to rebel against the Lord Ruler for centuries, but they never make much progress. It always ends up as an uninformed, disorganised attack that doesn't achieve anything. But we can work together. We can _change _that. What the Lord Ruler's hiding in that vault could change that."

He remained silent, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking. Kelsier was so much easier to read, but then, Kelsier was a very different person.

After a few moments, Marsh collected his unreadable thoughts, and changed the subject. "You should stay here tonight, it's not safe if that Inquisitor's still out looking for you. There's a cot in one of the back rooms you could use."

"What about you?"

"I'll keep watch," he said, opening the door to let her out. Seeing as sleep would probably not come, she considered telling him to use the bed instead, but she knew he'd keep watch whether she remained awake or not.

Mare left the office, the door shutting behind her. She made her way down the corridor to a small 'guest room', which was really just a large closet with a tiny bed in the corner. She sank down onto it, curling into a ball.

She'd meant what she'd said – they couldn't give up on the plan now. They might never get another chance. The opportunity would be wasted because she was too afraid to take the risk.

A Larsta meditational prayer – more a poem than a prayer, really – came to mind, one that Sazed had taught her not long after she had converted to the faith. It helped her still her thoughts. She concentrated on the imagery: beautiful green fields, dotted with colourful shapes – _flowers_ – animals grazing, a magnificent blue sky with an amber sun resting among gentle white clouds. The more she tried to picture it, the more tangible it became. And the more she wanted it.

As soon as morning came – and when Marsh would let her leave without an armoured escort – she would seek out Kelsier and tell him what had happened. Then she would find out Trap's fate. She didn't know if the Larsta had any prayers of protection, but she offered one up anyway.

...


	3. Plan

**Trust**

Chapter Three: Plan

...

Dawn had scarcely broken when Mare decided she was going to head back home. It had been a restless night of fragmented dreams and anxious waking thoughts. She couldn't wait around any longer.

She opened the office door, but it was empty. Clearly, Marsh had decided to put his sleepless night to good use, and was downstairs in the shop. Unless the Inquisitor had come...? _Don't think about that. Just go home, find Kell. _

Descending the stairs, she saw that her brother-in-law was indeed in the shop, though he didn't appear to be doing anything productive. In fact, he was half-slumped over a sheaf of papers. Mare wondered if she should just leave him to sleep, but it probably wasn't a good idea to just vanish. She shook his shoulder gently to try and wake him.

Marsh stirred, blinking wearily before apparently assuming a state of alertness. It was hardly convincing, as he attempted poorly to stifle a yawn.

"I'm going home," she explained, as he tucked his papers away. "I need to fill Kelsier in and find out what happened to Trap."

He nodded, though she could still see a flicker of disappointment on his face.

"Thanks, for helping last night. And," Mare grinned, "thanks for not taking it badly when I smacked you in the face with a mop."

She received a smile for that, and a firm: "Be careful."

Mare left it at that, and made her way home. She was still wearing her dishevelled clothing from the previous night, though thankfully the skaa – even the ones in the trade section – tended to dress so shabbily that her attire was hardly of notice. She still pulled her hood up though, and tried to avoid any encounters.

She doubted the Ministry would be hunting her in the day, if they hadn't followed her here at night, but caution paid off. That would have been a wise lesson to learn the previous night. It was one she would need to remember before they launched their infiltration of Kredik Shaw.

Keeping to the crowded streets – where she could fade into the background – she made her way to a more affluent section of the skaa district. She and Kelsier had decided to remain in the skaa areas, despite the money they'd gained from stealing. Aside from anything else, it was useful to be close to their contacts and thieving friends. But it was also a pointed gesture. They were skaa; unlike the nobility, money would not corrupt them and turn them against other people.

And they had a pretty house.

Mare approached it, popping inside quickly and shrugging off her skaa jacket.

"Kell? Are you here?" she called, after checking the empty lower rooms and beginning to ascend the staircase.

As soon as she reached the top, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her into a tight hug. She inhaled, smelling the reassuring scent of her husband and returned the embrace, even if it was cutting off circulation. He gave Mare a lingering kiss before releasing her. Despite Kelsier's seemingly exhaustless reserves of confidence, he had clearly been worried.

Mare soaked the feeling up for a moment, before turning her attention to more pressing matters.

"Have you heard from Trap?"

"Actually, I have," Kelsier indicated the guest room. "He's the one who told me what happened. Most of it anyway. I was waiting until you got back to hear the juicy details."

She felt a rush of relief, and fully allowed herself to count her blessings for the good luck they had received the previous night. Everyone was safe, and the Inquisitor had lost her. A triumph. They headed for the comfortable chairs of the living room, Mare sitting cross-legged like a normal person, whilst Kelsier sat on the backrest with his feet on the seat. He was an odd man, but those were the best kind.

"Out with it then," Kelsier said with a playful grin. "A bit of boring surveillance didn't cut it so you had to pick a fight with an Inquisitor?"

Mare rolled her eyes. "Only _you_ would be _that_ insane, Kell."

"I do my best."

He wasn't lying either. The amount of occasions where Kelsier had pulled an idiotic stunt on one of their jobs was innumerable. The amount of times it had succeeded was just as high.

"I saw the Lord Ruler," she explained. "He went in there for three hours again, and then left. He does it every time, three hours every three days. Whatever's in there, it's important. Oh – that reminds me."

Mare fished a pocket watch out of her shirt pocket and handed it to her husband. They didn't usually carry metals, they made easy weapons for Coinshots and Lurchers – not to mention the more dangerous Allomancers – to use against you. However, they hadn't been expecting danger last time and it had been necessary to take some time-keeping device in order to record how long the Lord Ruler spent in the vault. Not that they intended to rob it on a night when he visited, of course. Kelsier had leant her his pocket-watch for the purpose.

"Anyhow, just after I saw him, I sensed something. I knew it didn't sound human, so me and Trap went to hide behind these chimneys."

Kelsier nodded. "Trap told me about how you two only just managed to hide before the Inquisitor appeared. And about how you told him to stop burning copper."

"Paranoia, I guess." Mare shrugged. "But I didn't want to risk it. Those things are so creepy, who knows what they can do? But after that, I told Trap to use an escape route to get to one of the lower floors and lose the Inquisitor that way. I was going to follow him, but I heard it closing in, and I just panicked. And ran. I didn't even think it might go after Trap until I stopped later."

"You ran? Then why didn't he catch you?"

The uneasy feeling from last night gathered in her stomach, the walls looming around her. The fact that she was home and alive suggested that it had lost her trail – perhaps it had sensed something of greater importance to direct its attentions to. Considering it didn't know what they were doing on roof, it might have just intended to scare them off. There was no way of knowing, and the experience was etched into her mind. She wasn't likely to forget the encounter soon.

"That's the thing," Mare confessed. "I don't know how I got away. I just ran for it, over some roofs and down into the alleys. I hid for a while, and it was then that I figured it might've gone for Trap instead. Maybe I just got lucky. I went to hide out in Marsh's shop after that."

"That's where you've been all this time," Kelsier surmised, with a relieved grin. "Does he know you were there?"

"I think so; I _did_ tackle him and whack him in the face with a mop." She laughed, despite herself. She laughed even harder at the incomprehension on Kelsier's face. "I didn't know it was him – I thought it was the Inquisitor – so I just attacked."

"You tried to fight an Inquisitor with a mop?" Kelsier stared at her quizzically for a moment, before joining in her laughter. Somehow, with him, even the most frightening experiences seemed to turn into a source of amusement later on. "Well, it's good to know I'm not the only insane person in our marriage."

Mare snorted. "It's your bad influence."

Kelsier smiled. Mare had hardly been an innocent little girl before she'd joined Kelsier's crew. Her father had a mere few underground connections, but had lived a fairly respectable life as a skaa craftsman. After her parents' deaths she'd used those underground connections and her tin to make what meagre living was available to a female thief. Marsh's Seeker abilities had thankfully found her before the Inquisitors. And then she'd met Kelsier, and he'd unintentionally enticed her into his dangerous lifestyle. She'd always had a daring streak, but she'd never have been so bold if she hadn't joined Kelsier.

His face grew more serious. She knew what was on his mind. He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him to the chase.

"So, are we going tonight?"

"Are you still sure?" he asked.

She nodded. She'd made her decision last night; there would be no giving up just because of a close encounter. There had been enough of those since meeting Kelsier – and a few before – but it just happened that it had been regular guards before. An Inquisitor was just a regular guard. Crossed with a Mistborn. And a monster. But if they followed the plan, they shouldn't encounter any of them anyway.

"We'll go at nightfall, of course, so food and training are probably a good idea beforehand. We'll be picking up a Smoker on the way, a new kid called Redd–"

"Trap's not going anymore?" she asked.

Kelsier shook his head, looking slightly disappointed. He tended to have his favourites within the Misting thieves: Breeze the Soother, Ham the Thug, Mare the Tineye, Trap the Smoker, Marsh the Seeker – not that Marsh made a habit of getting involved in thievery.

"Trap's still shaken up about last night. He's been talking all day about how lucky he is to have survived an encounter with an Inquisitor. I explained that we're not likely to come across any of them tonight, but I'm not going to force him to come."

Of course, Dockson's information – he'd been trying to discover the Inquisitors' locations. He hadn't found any patterns on where they tended to wander, as information on them was scarce enough, but he had discovered the location of their barracks. Thankfully, they were far from the vault. Another vote of confidence for tonight.

"Trap recommends this Redd kid though, so I've given him some basic information, and we'll pick him up tonight."

"How much does he know?" she asked.

"Just that we're planning to pinch something from the Lord Ruler. He seems like he wants an adventure, and I intend to give him one." Kelsier punctuated that with an optimistic smile.

"I just hope it's the non-violent kind. I've had enough excitement for one night."

Kelsier got up, kissing the top of her head before wandering off towards the door. "I've got some last-minute preparations to do before we go. You should get some rest."

Mare nodded, watching his retreating back as he descended the stairs. She was safe. She was going to stride into the Lord Ruler's lair tonight, something no one had ever tried – and lived to tell about – but they had a plan for that. A plan that she believed in.

It would be good to get out of her masculine clothing. There weren't many tailors that catered for women in a practical capacity and Mare wasn't proficient with a needle and thread. A man's trousers and shirt may be practical – she'd had to get used to such attire after her parents died – but she preferred a skirt and blouse. Especially when her current clothes were caked in ash. However, she had to practise her fighting skills before nightfall, something she'd neglected in her months of scouting. Regardless of what she'd said to Kelsier about a stealthy entry, there were _bound_ to be guards in the Lord Ruler's palace, and she would have to help him kill them.

Most of them were skaa, turning on their fellows in the hope of a better life. Kelsier thought they were sell-outs. Mare agreed, but that didn't mean they deserved death. On this occasion though, it couldn't be helped and the best she could do was ensure a clean kill. She'd ask Ham to train with her later and give her some tips. He knew how to kill but he didn't relish the task, so he'd presumably know how to incapacitate an enemy with minimal fuss and pain.

First, she decided to check up on Trap, get some proper sleep and a decent bit of food. She also wanted to read a few Larsta poems before the job – a tangible reminder of her goals.

There were various ways she could prepare herself for the night's events, and she intended to be ready in every way possible.

...


	4. Infiltration

**Trust**

Chapter Four: Infiltration

...

Kredik Shaw loomed before them like knives thrust from the earth's belly.

Just looking at the place made Mare's skin tingle.

The team of three were hidden in the shadow of a tall building. In the circle of buildings around Kredik Shaw, they were a quarter of the way round from the Ministry of Orthodoxy's position. That had been their original starting point, but if the Inquisitor was hoping to catch them there tonight, it would be rather mistaken.

It was Mare's job to get them there, and it was Redd's job to ensure she could do it safely.

Kelsier had arranged everything so that it would run smoothly, but he even had safehouses set up and people lying in wait in the districts around Kredik Shaw in order to help them should things go amiss. Those people didn't know the stakes, but they could be counted on in a pinch. With Mare's tin, however, the likelihood of them needing such measures were significantly reduced. She could ensure that they steered clear of guards, and stealthily neutralised those who were unavoidable.

Kelsier motioned Redd to burn his copper, and then Mare activated her tin. The metal blossomed into life within her, a comfort in the sight of the seemingly impenetrable fortress. She stared at it with renewed intent.

Time to go.

Mare led the way, her months of surveillance and superior senses making her the team's scout. They had to take an alternative route to the original one planned because of last night's altercation, but perhaps that was to their advantage. Acts of spontaneity would throw off any guards that might have been alerted to their spying. They would be focussing on where Mare had been last night, and would not expect her entrance from the other side of the fortress.

It was easy enough to get into Kredik Shaw's grounds, as it had no outer wall. It wasn't mere bravado from the Lord Ruler – given how pathetically and quickly all revolts against him were put down, you would have to be a fool to attack him. Fortunately, although she and Kelsier might be crazy enough to try and rob him, they weren't mad enough to actually attack him.

They moved along the cobbled grounds like shadows, heading for an entrance up ahead that ran past the guard station. If there were any inside, they should be able to put them down quickly and silently, but hopefully it would be empty.

There were no plants out here. Not even the despondent brown ones that looked so unappealing compared to the lush greenery of her dreams. This place was cold and hard. Evil.

Mare led them into the guard room, listening for signs of patrols or wary soldiers. There was nothing. Her tin-enhanced ears allowed her to hear far beyond the few rooms around them, but there was complete silence. It was a good sign, perhaps, but something about it felt off.

She couldn't communicate her thoughts to Kelsier. They had decided to maintain silence throughout the infiltration, using only basic hand signals to minimise chances of detection.

They moved down the corridors, which were lit by candelabras. Mare avoided looking directly at them, so she didn't damage her eyes. Instead, she focused on the route to the vault. The network of tunnels was a little disorientating, but she'd always had a good sense of direction. She'd scouted the perimeter of Kredik Shaw often enough, she knew where to go.

The noise coming from their footsteps was quiet – not to her ears, but to ordinary ones – but they weren't silent. Although Mare's tin-boosted senses increased her awareness of her noise and therefore helped her minimise it, none of them had the natural dexterity and grace of pewter. _Someone_ should surely have noticed them. She'd hoped for this to be a non-violent job, but she hadn't expected it to be. There was always some sort of minor scuffle. Why would the Lord Ruler's seat of power be different?

It wasn't right. There was a sense of foreboding hanging in the air. Marsh's warnings swarmed around her apprehension like moths. Was this just a reckless risk of her life? And Kelsier's life? It could be an attempt to lure them into the vault because there was something powerful in there. Something that gave him immortality, in exchange for skaa lives? She shivered, trying to quell the thoughts of old skaa stories.

Mare chanced a glance back at the other two. Kelsier flashed her a quick grin, before returning his wary yet determined gaze back down the hall. If he sensed something wrong, he wasn't letting it deter him. Behind, Redd the newcomer seemed excited and nervous. He'd apparently been on a few jobs before, but even the most experienced man would take pause at the thought of entering the Lord Ruler's lair.

She couldn't communicate her unease to them, and it didn't make any difference anyway.

Even if she was given the opportunity to turn back, without consequence, she wouldn't take it. She couldn't give up when they were so close to the mysterious room, which held the secrets of an immortal man, named 'God' by his deluded followers. She would be a bigger fool to turn back than to continue.

Through those doors ahead lay the ante-chamber to the vault. From there, they would just need to find a way through the vault's doors – assuming they were kept locked – and then they were in, and the riches and knowledge of the Lord Ruler would be theirs for the taking.

Mare managed a small smile as they closed in on the doors. She listened for sound on the other side, but as with the rest of Kredik Shaw, there was only silence that suggested desertion.

She glanced back at Kelsier, who seemed as excited as she did, and pushed gently on the doors. They opened quietly, and they filed inside, breaking their formation as Kelsier moved to the head of the group.

Mare heard them before she saw them.

Two sets of footsteps approaching from either side. She stared wildly in the direction of the noise, and unseeing steel eyes bored into her own. The Inquisitor hadn't lost her. It was here. And there was more than one.

"Kelsier!" she warned through a strangled whisper.

Kelsier stopped sharply as he realised the cause of her terror. A yelp from behind indicated that Redd had spotted them too.

The two Steel Inquisitors converged at the entrance to the vault, disturbing smiles on their inhuman faces. Kelsier backed away, moving himself in front of Mare protectively. It would do no good. Even had there only been one Inquisitor, they could not have fought it, or even outrun it. The only reason she escaped last night must have been because they just _knew_, somehow, about the plan. A trap.

Now, there weren't even just two.

Heavy footsteps from the corridor behind them alerted them to the presence of another two Inquisitors, these ones wielding obsidian axes. Mare felt her emotions swirl into a tumultuous mess inside her; fear for herself, for Kelsier; despair at their fate; and anger that they would never discover what lay within the vault. It would never be used to help the skaa.

Kelsier stared at the Inquisitors, eyes defiant despite the shiver she felt run through him. Mare struggled to muster the same courage, even the small amount she'd had last night, when she'd thought to fight to her death. But it was different tonight. This time it wasn't just her life at stake.

The newly arrived Inquisitors stopped in front of the passage's doors, barring their exit.

Without any warning, signal, or anything, the Inquisitor on the right swung its immense axe, shearing their Smoker's head from his shoulders, blood roaring from the wound as his body crumpled. Mare tracked the head's movements as it slapped onto the hard ground, face twisted in terror. The blood leaked crimson before them, pooling around the Inquisitor's feet. It smiled. It loved this.

Mare felt sick. She stared at the Inquisitor with loathing and fear. How could something so monstrous exist? If the fate of she and Kelsier was in their hands, then there was no justice in the world. All their hopeful dreams would culminate in a blow to the neck and a wasteful end to their lives. A small spark of boldness, fuelled by fury, and overrode her immediate fear.

Her eyes focussed on the harsh scene before her, the looming threat of the Inquisitor's axe. At least she could go in the knowledge that it would be quick and painless, compared to most deaths at Inquisitor hands. Her parents hadn't been so lucky. She prayed Kelsier would be spared their fate.

Transfixed by the perverse horror of their decapitated ally, and the relish with which the Inquisitors treated death, neither Mare nor Kelsier had noticed a final arrival.

"I knew you would come. I have waited for you. Foolishness such as yours deserves to be dealt with in person."

Mare didn't recognise the sharp, cold voice that was coming from the vault's entrance.

But she knew the face instantly.

They turned to see the new arrival. She saw with normal human eyes the figure she'd watched with tin for months. A youthful face that was so familiar, and yet mysterious. One that she despised.

It was him.

The Lord Ruler.

...


	5. Betrayal

**Trust**

Chapter Five: Betrayal

...

A wave of despair and hopelessness like nothing Mare had ever experienced before struck her in full force. The streak of angry defiance she'd felt at the Inquisitor's barbarity was crushed under an oppressive fist of negative emotion. It was as though the very will to live was being dragged from her.

It seemed to be emanating from the Lord Ruler himself. How was that even possible?

_Allomancy._

The force of his Soothing choked the breath from her. There was no hope. No hope.

"I knew you would come," he said, his hard voice lacking all emotion, all humanity. "I have waited for you. Foolishness such as yours deserves to be dealt with in person."

"So I see," Kelsier retorted, attempting a defiant smile even now. "But if you're so omnipresent, how is it you didn't stop us sooner?"

"I was waiting to see if you would be delivered to me," the Lord Ruler replied simply.

To Mare's horror, he turned his icy stare from her husband, and fixed it on her instead. She glared at him, grasping for the anger and hatred she felt inside herself, despite the depression he was smothering her with.

The Lord Ruler smiled at her. A genuine smile, honest. It chilled her far more than any Inquisitor smile, far more than the blood that had washed over the floor. It was heavy with meaning.

"Thank you, for your help," he said, face so sincere that she almost believed him. He was trying to _make _her believe him, tugging on her feelings of guilt with enough force to rip her heart out. "I could not have done this without your assistance. A shame, it will not save your life."

"_What?"_Kelsier demanded.

"Fool. Can you not see, even as I speak the truth to you? Consider how easily you found your way into my domain and the waiting arms of my Inquisitors. You cannot truly think that I wasn't informed of your arrival. Who do you think could have betrayed you?"

"Not her," Kelsier hissed through clenched teeth.

The Lord Ruler fixed him with a pitying look, as though he was honestly sorry that Kelsier's wanton trust had been betrayed. His gaze flickered to Mare, a trace of a smile on his lips. Her husband followed that gaze.

A rush of guilt surged through Mare, and she hated herself for doing this to Kelsier. If only she had been better! What kind of Tineye was she, walking blindly into so deadly a trap? She had been entrusted with his plans, and now they had failed. She had failed. It would be better if the Inquisitors just killed her... _no... NO! I didn't betray him! You bastard! Stop manipulating me! Get out of my HEAD!_

Mare forced herself to suppress the false feelings, try to ignore them. _Find something real._ She didn't betray Kelsier, not intentionally. They'd known the risks going in. She'd tried her best. The guilty despair faded from her face.

It was too late, the damage was done.

Kelsier's face was a map of confusion, hurt and betrayal that she had never seen before. Emotions that she wouldn't believed existed in him were etched onto his face by the Lord Ruler's lies. Surely he didn't believe any of it? How _could_ she have betrayed him?

Was it because of that Inquisitor yesterday? Was it because her tin had failed to sense the ambush tonight? Was the information she had gathered on the Lord Ruler all planted by the bastard himself? There were so many ways she could have made a grave mistake, and none of them could produce such pain on Kelsier's face. He thought she'd deceived him on purpose. That she would lead him to his death.

"Kelsier," she whispered. "You know I'd never do it. You know me."

He stared at her, unhearing.

"Please, listen to me! He's lying to you!"

Kelsier's brow furrowed, his mind buried beneath a barrage of emotion.

"Kelsier, I _love _you."

He didn't acknowledge her words; he just stared, lost for words for the first time since she'd met him. He believed the Lord Ruler's lies because of that evil smile and sincere voice, the only trace of humanity it had displayed thus far.

No. Kelsier would never believe this.

Just as the Lord Ruler had used his unstoppable Soothing ability to force feelings of remorse upon Mare, he was now using it to heighten Kelsier's suspicion and betrayal. Without Redd's coppercloud, there was no defence.

The Lord Ruler hadn't executed them yet – but why not? Redd had been slain immediately, but the Lord Ruler had actually come to Mare and Kelsier in person. There had to be a reason.

A horrible realisation dawned on her. This emotional attack was just a taster. The Lord Ruler didn't need his Inquisitors to stop a non-Misting and a Tineye, he could easily smite them himself. He didn't mean to kill them quickly, he wanted a true punishment for their insubordination, and there was nothing the Inquisitors excelled at more than punishment.

Kelsier was still staring at her painfully. She had to get him away from here, away from that creature and his minions. If she was to die horrifically, it would not be while watching the man she loved lose every shred of trust he'd ever placed in her. And she would _not_ allow them to hurt him.

But there _was_ no way out. They were surrounded.

There was nothing else she could do. She would force their hand, end it quickly.

Mare drew a dagger, lunging for the Lord Ruler.

His Inquisitors were abnormally fast, but they clearly hadn't expected so bold a move from the trembling woman before them, who had just been begging her husband to hear her truth.

The Inquisitor behind her – who she'd realised was the monster who'd stalked her last night – brought a muscular arm down in front of her, hooking it around her throat. But not before her blade found its mark.

The knife sank into the pale flesh of the Lord Ruler's neck, shredding all it touched. It wouldn't kill him, but it would be her final act of resistance. More pointless than their attempt to steal his secrets and heal their diseased world. More futile than her brother-in-law's rebellion. But it carried all the hatred she felt for the Lord Ruler and all the pain he'd caused.

His cold fury was the last thing she saw before the sharp pain on the back of her head. Then all sense and awareness departed.

...


	6. Trust

**Trust**

Chapter Six: Trust

...

It hurt.

And she was cold.

Mare lay upon a cold floor, eyes closed. A dull ache at the back of her head brought the recent memories to the surface. So, she wasn't dead yet. Her mind felt hazy – an unfortunate side-effect of being smacked in the head by an Inquisitor.

The chill in the air made her shiver. Sometime after being rendered unconscious, she'd been stripped to her undergarments. Mare was a little surprised the Inquisitors would allow her the dignity of clothing, however partial. For some reason, that wasn't as comforting as it should be.

She didn't open her eyes. Instead, she reached for her tin, so that she could send out her senses to map her location. There was nothing there. Where her supply of tin usually resided, comforting and near-constant, there was nothing. Had it burned out whilst she was unconscious? Or did they have some method of removing it?

Without the ability to sense her surroundings, Mare resorted to conventional methods – opening her eyes by a slit and surveying the room from beneath her eyelashes.

She needn't have been so cautious. It was empty, mostly. The bare walls were made of dark stone, lit by a single brazier by a fortified door. The only furnishings within the room were a pair of wooden cages, fastened securely to the ground. Mare was captive within one of them. Not a single metal item was present within the chamber, as far as she could see. Though, even if there had been a handy set of keys across the room, or a steel dagger lying around, neither she nor Kelsier had the ability to Pull them.

There was no means of escape.

Mare shifted to the edge of her cage, slipping an arm through the bars in a vain attempt to reach the other caged prisoner.

"Kelsier, are you alright?"

No answer.

He was slouched with his back to her cage, and Mare couldn't tell whether he was unconscious, or if he was awake and simply ignoring her. Perhaps selfishly, she hoped it was the former.

"_Kelsier!"_

"I'm fine, Mare." His voice was sharp, angry but undefeated. The Lord Ruler must have gone; she could no longer feel the oppressive weight of his Soothing crushing her willpower. Maybe now he was gone, Kelsier would regain his will to fight. He might hear the truth in her words. More importantly, he might be in the right state of mind to think up one of his unconventional plans, something spontaneous that would have them out in under an hour and laughing about the experience later. She clung to the thin hope.

"We need to have to get out of here!" she whispered urgently.

Kelsier shifted in his cage, twisting round so that he was facing her. The resigned look on his face seemed out of place, as though he was borrowing it from elsewhere.

"We can't, I checked while you were asleep. We're stuck here, for now.

_For now._ So he hadn't completely given up hope of escape, which meant that something else was causing the air of depression that hung around him. Mare knew what it was, but she didn't want to voice her fears. She didn't want to hear him say the words.

"What are they going to do with us?" she asked.

"The Pits of Hathsin," he replied, a frown flickering onto his face. "The Lord Ruler wants to parade us through the city tomorrow, and make an example of us. He wants the skaa to know what happens when one of them gets too cocky."

The Pits of Hathsin. All skaa had heard of that place. It brought with it the same terror as the words 'Inquisitor' and 'Obligator', and resulted ultimately in increased docility amongst the skaa. They didn't know exactly what happened there, except that it was where the Lord Ruler mined atium. It was the only place in the Dominances he could get it. Prisoners would be sent down the narrow tunnels into the bowels of the earth to search in darkness for tiny atium deposits. People had been sent there before, but no one ever returned. They always died. Always.

So it wasn't torture that was in store for them after all. The Lord Ruler _did_ intend to execute them, but it wasn't a merciful beheading such as Redd's, instead it was a slow death. It was sad to think that she was jealous of Redd's fate.

"Why doesn't he just execute us right now?"

Kelsier shrugged. "Maybe he's feeling in an especially sadistic mood tonight."

The only difference between executing them on the spot and sending them to the Pits was that in the mine, death would be slower and would hold more fear. An execution brought with it a sense of inevitability, but to be condemned to the Pits meant that they were given the illusion of a chance of living. When really, it was just a delayed execution.

Mare gazed at Kelsier, who was regarding her with hardened eyes. She realised where she knew that look from. It was the same combination of pain and disappointment that she saw so often on Marsh's face. Her brother-in-law had been right after all – the plan was not only her downfall, but her husband's too. Her brow furrowed as she searched her mind, wondering how she could prove her innocence to Kelsier. If the Pits were her fate, then she would deal with that in time. She and Kelsier would at least have each other for comfort, for protection. Mare didn't want them to go there knowing that he was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, wondering. The affects of the Lord Ruler's Soothing still lingered faintly, and emotions imprinted themselves strongly onto memory. Even the slightest doubt about her loyalty would have been exploited by the Soothing, and would now linger like a treacherous whisper in Kelsier's mind.

He was watching her, emotionless. It was like he wasn't him anymore.

"Kelsier," she said quietly, looking directly into his eyes, willing him to see her sincerity. "I didn't do it. I would never betray you."

He didn't say anything.

"The Lord Ruler was _Soothing_ us, he wanted you to believe I did it so that he could break us," the words tumbled out in a desperate, urgent rush. "He did it on purpose. To _punish_ us. He was trying to trick you so that you wouldn't believe me, so that being condemned to the Pits would be even worse. I don't know how he knew we were coming – maybe he did see me one of those nights before, or maybe the Inquisitors saw us enter, I don't know! But it wasn't me, I could never do that to you!"

Kelsier didn't reply.

Footsteps filled the silence, perhaps drawn by the rise in the volume of her speech. The Inquisitors knew they were awake now, and were coming for them. Their sentence had arrived.

Mare turned her attention urgently back to her husband.

"Kelsier–!"

"I know, Mare," he said quietly, heavily. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, softening the hardness of his face. "I know you didn't betray me. It's alright."

He reached through the gap in his cage, as far as possible until the constrictive bars stopped him. Mare slipped her arm through her cage's bars, grasping his hand tightly in her own. They were just close enough for their fingers to intertwine. The warmth of his skin flooded her senses, as though she was flaring tin by the side of a great fire. Mare closed her eyes as she soaked it in, taking strength from the connection.

The door to the chamber slammed open, an Inquisitor striding into their presence, harbouring evil. But it couldn't break them.

Mare kept her hand clasped tightly to Kelsier's. She opened her eyes, blocking out the Inquisitor on the periphery of her vision. Instead she focused on her husband's face, the determined smile. She felt a small smile of her own lighten her face.

She met his eyes as the Inquisitor marched up to them, reaching to break apart their defiant bond.

Behind Kelsier's smile, she saw... _doubt?_

He... didn't believe her.

Mare released Kelsier's hand as the Inquisitor twisted her wrist, and she snapped her arm back inside the relative safety of the cage. She stared in surprise at her husband.

"Kelsier..."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." He smiled reassuringly at her as the Inquisitor opened his cage to drag him out, ready to wheel them through the city as a warning to other dissidents.

Kelsier didn't believe her yet. But he had to, he would. She had faith. Even if her dreams of changing the world, of defying the Lord Ruler with daring raids had failed miserably, even if she was doomed to live out the rest of her days in the Pits of Hathsin until either she or Kelsier died, she would _not _let the Lord Ruler take this from her. She wouldn't let Kelsier lose all faith in her, thinking her a traitor.

She knew Kelsier loved her, she trusted in that.

_Please, Kelsier... trust me too._

...


End file.
